actually sunday not monday. jon: that's right, we'll be there sunday and you be there too, please. jenna: thanks for joining us, everybody. jon: "america live" starts right now. megyn: fox news alert tempers flaring at hurricane sandy's victims face yet another day of waiting for help as forecasters warn of a possible nor'easter that may hit an already devastated east coast. welcome to "america live," i'm megyn kelly on a busy friday between politics and sandy. nearly 4 million americans spending a fourth day without any power, many of them told they will have to wait for weeks for it to be restored, and it's getting cold here in the northeast. staten island, new york one of the hardest hit communities, people there boiling in anger over what they say has been a slow to nonexistent relief effort in places. more than 80,000 people are in the dark, many are homeless because of situations like the one you see on your screen now,

and 19d because of the storm. supplies and patience are running out in new york and new jersey, look at these lines and imagine yourself in one. drivers that can actually find an open gather station dealing with a back up that stretches for miles. we are being told 60 to 70% of a lot of the gas stations are closed in this area. we are learning this is happening because companies cannot unload their cargo despite millions of gallons of fuel sitting in storage tanks, pipelines and tankers across the northeast. if a picture is worth a thousand words this one speaks for itself. take a look. look at this. a new jersey man taking desperate measures using a garden hose to try to siphon gas from his da his car to use in his generator at home that doesn't have power. that's why we are having a gasoline shortage in here, not because in terms of the supply but the need because people are running homes on generators and

they require gasoline. more on the storm's struggles just ahead. first this. fox news alert from the campaign trail just four days to go until election day. the candidates making a final push to rev up their bases and win over the last undecideds. governor romney promising to turn this economy around, president obama arguing it would have been worse if republicans would have been in charge over the past four years. with the final sprint on today we get the last pre election look at the unemployment situation in this country, the jobless rate ticking up last month to 7.9%, up from 7.8. some 12.3 million people unemployed. the number is higher when you add in the under employed, folks who want to be doing more than part time work, but are not, that number would jump to 23 million u.n. or under employed. both candidates hit the trail earlier and had this to say about the numbers.

>> this morning we learned that companies hired more workers in october than at any time in the last eight months. [cheers and applause] >> he said he was going to lower the unemployment rate down to 5.2% right now. today we learned that it's actually 7.9%, and that is 9 million jobs short of what he promised. unemployment is higher today than when barack obama took office. megyn: chris stirewalt the fox news digital politics editor and host of "fox news live." the number of jobs has ticked up, the numbers of jobs created has gone up over the summer months where it was truly abysmal. 171,000, obviously higher than 67,000, some of the other numbers we saw. put it in a larger perspective for us today. >> well, the larger perspective

is i think we will live to see election day. i'm very happy about that, so you're right, i like hearing how close we are, but the other thing is this. status quo. the jobs report is -- i think the technical term is meh, not good, not bad, it's holding the line and it's the same kind of economy that the president has had for much of the last two years, which is unsatisfactory but not terrifying, so he is going with that, and when you hear an incumbent use terms like the most jobs created in eight months or unusual metrics like that he's looking for a way to reinforce his argument that's been there all along which as you said was if the republicans would have been in charge this would have been worse. this isn't great but it's better than it would have been if john mccain would have been elected in 2008. that is not exactly arousing call to supporters, and it also leaves the door open for mitt romney. and what you heard which is to say, this guy didn't deliver

what he said he would, it's time to give somebody else the ball. megyn: when a difference from four years ago. i mean at this point in the election four years ago you could feel a momentum behind barack obama and people like you knew who was going to win that race. you know, it wasn't something that you could come out and say openly because you've got to keep an open mind, but it was clear that barack obama was going to win this election, and it is anything but clear this time around. >> no, you know, the analogy i would use is like two ships that are drifting into each other on election day. we don't know who has got the momentum, each side can make an argument about who is up, who is down, whose base is going to be more motivated, certainly in the president you hear as he is trying in the closing days, his tone for the last couple of weeks was mocking and derise i have of romney, now he's going into more high minded regret. he's sorry about how things are,

he's sorry that the republicans won't let him succeed more, he doesn't like how things are, but he's telling americans just as he did at the convention, hold on. you hear from romney this argument that says, we can do this and he's trying to show that energy and this weekend will be so crucial, so, so crucial because this is the time that if romney is going to win it he's going to see those last remaining, that last sliver of independents, 16% of the independents in the last fox news poll break in his favor and that could be what takes him over the edge. megyn: you ran your power peace posted on foxnews.com about how we get a jobs report that reinch storessess the stag nancy of an economy. victims of the east coast storm are literally digging through dumpsters looking for food and the administration is mired in a foreign policy scandal over this terror aeu kwrabg in libya, and the race is dead even according to the "real clear politics" average, and a lot of polls show the race is dead even.

this is not the position the president wanted to be in going into this november 6th election. >> nor did he think it would be. this is the worst position since any incumbent since george w. bush and maybe jimmy carter. it's the testament to his ten as a tiana lot of the money he raised and spent that it resulted in a tie. megyn: it never actually ends in a tie. we will get a result and chris stirewalt will know it before any of us knows it. he will be on the fox news decision desk tuesday night and i'll be saying, what do you know, and he'll be saying, i can't talk now. >> there is always time for you, meg. >> shall we tell them what happened back in 2010. brett and i were about to go on the air and we weren't able to call like the biggest -- anyway it wound up going into the prompter, that's how we learned as we read it it came out. >> we like to keep you guessing, megyn, we like to keep you on your toes. >> thanks, chris. let's hope that doesn't happen on tuesday.

>> promise. megyn: back now to the growing frustration and just heartbreak, heartbreak in some of the places hardest hit by the monster storm this week in the northeast. look at what the helicopters found in a fly over of new york's staten island this morning, look at these. this is the foundation of a family's home, blown away by wind and water. what was the basement now looks like a pool, with even experienced reporters stunned by what they are seeing. >> that picture pretty much describes what happened here. there you have part of a foundation. you have steps, but no home. we saw a little while ago in union beach, new jersey, homes that were thrown several hundred feet from their foundations, and a similar situation here along the south shore of staten island, there are several foundations at that point and you could see over in this marshy area we have four homes that have been pushed over into the area. it's just incredible to think about that, what force was able

to lift these homes from their foundations, carry them, again, several hundred feet from the foundations. it's just incredible here, we are seeing this street after street where houses have just been completely leveled, debris thrown everywhere. megyn: those pictures, david lee miller live in staten island for us today. david lee. >> reporter: you know, megyn of all five boroughs that comprise new york city staten island arguably the hardest hit. earlier you said a picture is worth a thousand words. take a look at this. this must be worth a million words. this boat like so many others here carried by the force of the water more than one hundred yards. joining me right now is the owner of a restaurant, the marina cafe, he lives in the community. joey delessio. to what extent have you received

help from authorities. >> i'd say to this point zero percent. >> what is the problem. >> first thing we need is the streets opened up so there is passageways for emergency vehicles, police vehicles, god forbid a fire, somebody gets sick, dies, whatever the case maybe. we need the access to get in and out of the streets. number two we need a police presence down here. restaurants, homes and boats are being looted left and right down here. and we need electricity. i understand there are more important neighborhoods where they are trying to save lives. i think that should be on a priority list also. people may eventually get sick and possibly die down here too. >> reporter: i have to add that many people here very upset and angry that sunday new york is diagnose to go ahead with the marathon, that is a race that goes through all five boroughs, it begins here in staten island. many people feel as long as there are those without electricity, without food, without water resources should be saved and spent on helping

those hurt by the storm, not running the race. back to you. megyn: that is becoming a bigger and bigger controversy. we'll talk about it in our next hour. david lee miller, thank you. panic is setting in over wide-spread gas shortages. lines like this extending for miles at pumps all over new york and new jersey. many stations are closed, but for those lucky enough to reach a pump they are waiting hours to fill up. folks are going in the middle of the night and they are still having to wait for hours. despite all of this new york city still going ahead with the annual marathon as you heard david lee say. that decision not sitting well with many of the millions who are suffering after sandy. trace gallagher has an update on that. trace. >> reporter: because if you can't get to work, megyn and you can't heat your house there are a lot of people who are very frustrated and very angry that the city of new york is using, as david lee said, valuable resources to put on a marathon. you made a very good point earlier, megyn, this gas crunch has nothing to do with the lack of gas, it's all about the lack of power.

there are millions and millions of gallons of gas ready to go but you need power to get the gas into the tanker and you need power to get the gas from the gas stations into your car. aaa estimates that 60% of stations in new jersey have no power. 70% of stations on long island no power. the gas that normally takes 24 to 48 hours to pump is now gone in three hours, and now you've got frustrations that are brewing that unity we had two days ago is now falling apart. listen to some of the people waiting in line. >> i've been here for three hours. >> three hours. >> three hours. unbelievable. >> three hours. ten bucks a gas, no breakfast. >> it's unbelievable. >> but we are alive. we are alive. >> there's gas stations all over but the power is out, so you can't, i mean everywhere i look mile and a half, two mile long lines to get gas. >> reporter: a 35-year-old man in queens was arrested after pulling a gun on another driver who confronted him for cutting in the gas line, which these

days is a very big offense. new jersey state troopers, you can see they are now patrolling gas stations along the major highways in new jersey, cabs and car services, megyn are off the roads, because like the rest of us, or like the rest of you in the northeast they cannot get gas. the situation becoming very chaotic at a lot of the stations in and around the new york area. i mean it's getting worse and they expect by monday they might have some relief, megyn but that is just a guess. megyn: the taxi drivers in new york don't know what they are going to do. that's how they make their living and how most negotiators get around especially with the subways out. 23million americans are unemployed or under employed when the average job search stretches nine months. lou dobbs shows us how we got here next. new fallout from the deadly terrorist attack on our consulate in benghazi, libya. the pentagon now says what it was doing while four americans were fighting for their lives. my doctor told me calcium

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megyn: the last jobs report before the election getting very different reactions today. the unemployment rate went up and the white house sees an economy on the mend. now we are looking at the larger picture as americans prepare to pick our next president. that unemployment rate ticking up to 7.9% last month up from 7.8. among african-americans it's 14.3%. more than 3.5 million people have been jobless for at least a year and 5 million have been out of work for six months. and picture this. on average if you lost your job today it would take you until august of next year to find a new one. joining us now fox business network lou dobbs host of lou dobbs tonight. they say the numbers went up a little because folks are starting to look for jobs again. >> there is some truth to it.

it's an irrelevant truth however. 7.9% means we still have 23 million americans, megyn in this country that are unemployment, under employed or given up looking for work. 7.9% will be the last number in the minds of most people as they go into the polling booths. it's not a happy number. we've actually seen this president, as we go beyond these numbers, this is the first black president, and if we look at the unemployment among blacks, as you just suggested, it has worsened. for black women it has worsened remarkably. moving from 9.2% to 12.4% over the duration of this president's term in office. for hispanics it is the same story, overall effectively the same rate, but for women the rate is, again, a sad story. megyn: don't you think there is a perception that the president is for the lower socio-economic classes, and the president is somebody who will protect the interests of minority voters,

and mitt romney isn't? >> mitt romney isn't i think is a fi fiction generated by those who say the president has helped us with the greateseed socio-economic lee. those people who are chronically unemployed and i'm talking primarily about black americans, who most desperately need the help, this has not even been a discussion over four years of this presidency. mitt romney has been talking about what is required, economic growth, driving private sector, energy to create jobs. this president hasn't even begun to mention those thins until this year. megyn: that's interesting because there's been so much focus as of late in particular on the democratic side on some social issues. >> yes, yes. megyn: or some reproductive rights issues when it comes to women and so on. >> sure. megyn: it always comes back to the question of whether jobs and the economy are the number one issue no matter whether you're a woman, a latino, african-american, what have you. >> it is one of the most

condescending, path thro suggesting that continue september eufs are more important to them than jobs. that their quote unquote reproductive rights are challenged when the constitutionality is this. even if row v wade was turned back and this president has no intention of doing so, even if it were done abortion rights would remain it would be a mountains for states. it's an absurdity. megyn: listen i want to stay on the path that we are on, which is the economy, and that is put in perspective for us, when you look at the jobs, the unemployment rate in this country, the president promised it would be way down by now. >> 5.2%. megyn: and it's not, it's 7.9%. he says, look, i inherited such a mess, and it wasn't my fault, the republicans did that, and i've been digging out slowly but surely. we have 2% growth, it's in the

great but better than what i inherited. when i took office we were shedding 700,000 jobs a month. >> i think what is going to happen on tuesday, in all honesty, megyn that voters are going to walk into the polling booths and ask themselves do they want another four years of a president who makes excuses and hands out blame or do they want a president who will create an atmosphere for business, for job creation and get things turned around and take responsibility, and who has a demonstrated record by the way of working in a bipartisan manner as governor of massachusetts. this president does not help himself as a candidate by making all of these excuses, and creating great -- this defusion of focus, which by the way plays out across his policies and one of the reasons we are in this mess with unemployment this high is his stimulus package was defused, unfocused and untarged. the man's policies have been at

best tepid when we are dealing with what has been a crisis for four years, three and a half years under this president. it's remarkable. megyn: peggy noon and had a column out yesterday talking about how the president in her view squandered the good will he had when he took office. >> absolutely. megyn: by focusing on healthcare and to some extent stimulus but not on jobs, not on job creation, and that -- we will talk about that later. >> instead of intelligent compassionate policies to drive job creation and economic growth. but when you talk about what has been squandered here, think of the opportunities. this man stood tall as a post partisan president who could have brought everyone together, and instead wrinkled and created a greater divide than this country has known in our lifetimes. megyn: thank you so much for your perspective. >> great to be with you. megyn: the president just began his remarks in springfield,

ohio, no accident he's in ohio today. earlier today he was publicly complained about a romney ad that focuses on chrysler building jeeps in china. now we learned a bit about that from stu varney yesterday. in a moment we will have the truth and the fiction in the fight over this controversial message. as of today for a moment now, though we are going to listen to president obama out making his final argument on the campaign trail. >> we see neighbors helps neighbors cope with tragedy. we see leaders of different political parties working to fix what's broken, not to score political points. we see a spirit that says no matter how bad a storm is, no matter how tough times are, we are going to make it because we are all in this together. [cheers and applause] >> we rise and fall as one nation and as one people. [cheers and applause] >> and that spirit, ohio has guided this country along its

improbable journey for more than two centuries, and it's also guided us and carried us through the trials and tribulations of the last four years. in 2008 we were in the middle of two wars and the worst economic crisis since the great depression. today our businesses have created nearly 5 pine 5 million new jobs and this morning we learned that companies hired more workers in october than at any time in the last eight months. [cheers and applause] the american auto industry is back on top. [cheers and applause] >> home values, housing starts are on the rise. [cheers and applause] >> we are less dependent on foreign oil than any time in the last 20 years. because the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform the war in iraq is over, the war in afghanistan

is ending, al-qaida has been decimated, osama bin laden is dead. [cheers and applause] we're on the move, ohio. we've made real progress these past four years. but the reason all of you are here today, the reason i'm here today is because we know we've got more work to do. as long as there is a single american who wants a job but can't find one our work is not done. as long as there are families working harder but falling behind, as long as there's a child anywhere in this country who is languishing in poverty, barred from opportunity our fight goes on. we are not finished yet, we've got more work to do. [cheers and applause] >> we are here because we understand this nation cannot

succeed without a growing, thriving middle class. [cheers and applause] >> without sturdy ladders for folks who are willing to work hard to get into the middle class. our fight goes on because america has always done best when everybody is getting a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody plays by the same rules, that's what we believe, that's what you believe, that's why you elected me in 2008, and that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. [cheers and applause] [chanting] four more years! four more years! four more years! four more years! >> now in four days, springfield, four days, four

days for four years -- [cheers and applause] >> in four days you've got a choice to make. it's not just a choice between two parties or two candidates, it's a choice between two different evangelists fo visions for america. it's going back to the policies that got us into this mess or the middle out bottom up strategies that have got even us out of this mess and will keep us going. [cheers and applause] you know, as americans we believe in free enterprise, and we believe in the strivers, and the dreamers and the risk takers who are the driving force behind our economy. that's how we create growth and prosperity the greatest the world has ever known. but we also believe that our

economy does better, our businesses do better, our entrepreneurs do better when everybody has a chance to succeed, when all our children are getting a decent education. when all our workers are learning new skills, when we support research in medical breakthroughs and new technologies. we believe america is stronger when everybody can count on affordable health insurance and medicare, and social security. when our kids are protected from toxic dumping and pollution. when our consumers aren't being taken advantage of by credit card companies or mortgage lenders. we believe in a democracy where everybody's voice is heard, where you just can't buy and election. and we believe in politicians who understand that there are some things the american people can do better for themselves,

for example, that politicians in washington, mostly men shouldn't be controlling healthcare choices that women can make perfectly well for themselves. [cheers and applause] >> for eight years we had a president who shared these beliefs, a guy named bill clinton. [cheers and applause] >> and so our beliefs were put to the test. his economic plan asked the wealtheist americans to pay a little bit more so we could continue to invest in our people, continue to invest in ideas, and inc inventory no sraeugss, invest in our infrastructure. at the time a republican congressman and senate candidate by the name of mitt romney. [booing ] >> no, no, don't boo, vote.

vote. voting is the best revenge. at the time mitt romney said bill clinton's plan would hurt the economy and kill jobs. turns out his math back then was just as bad as it is today. [cheers and applause] >> because by the end of president clinton's second term america created 23 million new jobs and incomes were up and poverty was down and our deficit became the biggest surplus in history. so, our ideas were tried and tested and they worked. their ideas were also tried and they didn't workout so well. remember, in the eight years after bill clinton left office they tried this top down economics, they tried this you're on your own economics. we tried giving big tax cuts to the wealtheist americans, we tried giving insurance companies and oil companies big wall street banks free license to do whatever they pleased. we tried it, and what did we

get? we got falling incomes, record deficits, the slowest job growth in after a century and we ended up with a economic crisis that we've been cleaning up after ever since. [cheers and applause] >> so we tried our ideas, they worked. we tried their ideas, didn't work. now, governor romney, he's a very gifted salesman, so he's been trying in this campaign as hard as he can to repackage these ideas that didn't work, the very same policies that did not work, and he's trying to pretend that they are changed. have you heard him? he's going around saying, i'm the candidate of change, accept when you look at the politics they are the same ones that didn't work. the thing is, we know what change looks like. and what he's selling ain't it. giving more power to the biggest banks, that is not change.

another 5 trillion-dollar tax cut that favors the wealthy is not change. refusing to answer questions about the details of your policies until after the election? not change. megyn: and there you have it the president live in springfield, ohio. it is an interesting juxtaposition, mitt romney arguing that he's the candidate of change which of course was barack obama's mantra four years ago but has become a legitimate debate in this campaign about who really is going to bring change to washington, who can bring change to washing tonight. the president's remarks will be streaming live on foxnews.com if you'd like to listen to them in their entirety. and we'll continue to watch the candidates, it's no accident he's in ohio. it could all come down to ohio although the romney camp says it has a back up plan that they believe is more and more viable as they inch closer to tuesday. they believe they can get mitt romney into the white house even absent ohio but they sure would like to have it. in any event i want to get back to the news now, as we mentioned

a moment ago during a campaign stop this morning the president complained about a romney campaign ad that is getting a lot of attention this week. the ad says that the u.s. bailed outcries her and that chrysler is going to build jeeps in china democrats call this a flat out lie, and we did a little fact checking on both. jim angle live in washington with the facts. hey, jim. >> reporter: hello, megyn. jeep production in ohio has turned into one of the nastyist and perhaps misinformed debates of the season. back in late october bloomberg ran a store row saying that fiat the owner of chrysler plans to return jeep output to china and may eventually make all of its mod tphels that country according to the head of both automakers operations in the region. now governor romney mentioned that story in a speech later in ohio, but later learned it was incorrect. democrats and bailed out automakers rushed to say that jeep was not going to take jobs from ohio, but rather just open

up a production line in china, which a later romney ad accurately repeated. listen. >> obama took gm and chrysler into bankruptcy and sold chrysler to italians who are going to build jeeps in china. mitt romney will fight for every american job. >> reporter: but democrats cried foul and even fact checkers said while it was technically accurate, it was misleading. that prompted angry accusations from everyone up to and including president obama, as you mentioned earlier. listen. >> you've got folks who work at the jeep plant who have been calling their employers, worried, asking, is it true, are our jobs being shipped to china? and the reason they are making these calls is because governor romney has been running an ad that says so. except it's not true. >> reporter: nevertheless the

head of fiat-chrysler confirmed exactly what the romney ad said that the company had intended to return jeep production to china, the world's largest automarket in order to satisfy local market demand. the controversy of course is touchy because getting bailed out by american tax dollars a company was deciding to create jobs somewhere other than in the u.s. but the administration rushed to say no american jobs would be affected, even that, however, may be in doubt now. chrysler's owner has announced something even more controversial, it now plans to build chrysler models in italy, including jeeps, anne and and export them to the u.s. jeeps that might have been made in the u.s. by american workers. megyn. megyn: all right, thank you. >> reporter: yes, ma'am. megyn: fox news alert on the deadly terrorist attack on our consulate in libya. a pentagon spokesman now saying the u.s. military was ready to respond within hours of the assault and even prepped for a

possible hostage mission. national security correspondent jennifer griffin live at the pentagon with more. >> reporter: hi, megyn. pentagon spokesman george little says that there should be a timeline released by the military soon about what assets were moved where in those initials hours after the attack on the consulate. we have reported in the past and the pentagon is now confirming that several special operations teams were moved into position but they did not get to the base or get to libya in time to be of any help during the crisis. senior counterterrorism officials tell us they felt cut out of the loop the night of the attack on the benge consulate. according to emails that they shared with fox news from bill tear resources familiar with the discussions of how to respond, how the government decided to respond the night of the september 11th attack top state department officials decided not to send a foreign emergency support team, this team from the state department and cia has a military joint

special operations command element to it and has been routinely deployed to assist in investigations. after the u.s.s. cole bombings and the bombings in kenya and tanzania could have helped the fbi gain access to the site in benghazi faster than the 24 days it needed. they say the team would not have done any good. a spokesman gave this explanation. quote the most senior people in government worked on this issue from the moment it happened, that includes the secretary of defense. chairman of the joint chief, secretary of state, national security adviser, et cetera. fox news has learned that u.s. military intelligence was reporting as early as 7:00pm eastern, less than four hours after the attack began that ansar al-sharia carried out the i attack on the consulate.

state department cables show that stevens team warned washington that at 6:43 in the morning they had concerns on september 11th that members of the libyan police sent to guard them were photographing the compound, quote, this person was photographing the inside of the u.s. special mission and furthermore this person was part of the police unit sent to protect the mission from the ministry of foreign affairs. u.s. intelligence officials tell fox that three hours before the attack on the consulate they had reports from the ground in benghazi that an armed militia was gathering three hours before the attack. megyn. megyn: wow, jennifer, thank you. joining us now christopher hahn a former aide to democratic senator chuck schumer and a fox news contributor and chris plant host of the chris plant show. i mean the narrative, let me start with you on this chris hahn. the narrative that is emerging here is that counterterrorism folks were kept out, they felt

cut out of what happened on the night and felt cut out there after. that more and more the cia knew that it was ansar al-sharia, a terrorist group. there were warnings they shouldn't even go to the hospital where they thought ambassador was being held and might be aeu lived because they believe ansar al-sharia might be outside of the hospital and there was a question about whether we could go there. the point is ansar al-sharia was written all over it and it's written all over it now and that is a terrorist group and yet the administration was talking about a video and talking about spontaneous mob violence. >> look, i think mistakes were made. i think that the administration is going to have to come up with a clear case of what actually happened there, but i think in this highly partisan environment right now no one believes what anybody says right now on either side. right now if you're a republican you believe what republican sources say, if you're a democrat you believe what democratic sources say. and i think that after the

election we should have a full accounting of what actually happened there and people who made mistakes should be fired or held accountable as such. but between now and tuesday is not the time to have that debate. between now and tuesday we have to focus on our national election, and again, like i said, nobody believes what anybody is saying any more. it's unfortunate but that's what our politics have come to in this country where we just don't trust each other any more. megyn: chris plant is this very well rant to the national election. >> of course it is. we need answers and deserve answers before the election. the president needs to come out and make it clear whether he was the one making the calls during the massacre in benghazi, whether he was the one that personally in the situation room watching it stream in live made the call that we weren't going to send in reinforcements and the decision was made to let people die. of course we need answers before the election. it's not that we don't believe what either side is saying, this is sort of the democrat fall back position. the truth is no one believes that anybody is paying attention to what the administration has

provided to the american people. these why we need clarity before the election. megyn: there is a question whether the attack was handled the way it should have been. whether it should have been treesed as terrorism and whether it's now being treated as terrorism. i want to get your thoughts on this chris hahn about the inadequate security clearly there prior to the day we were attacked. more and more we are hearing from the ambassador knew it was inadequate. those on the ground knew it was inadequate. a foreign policy magazine has a piece talking about two letters dated september 11th expressing strong fears about the security situation there on what turned out to be this tragic day, including one from shaun smith one of the victims who said, talking about how he didn't trust the police that were supposed to be guarding them saying assuming we don't die tonight, and he did. >> right, look, clearly the world is a dangerous place, and that part of the world is a very dangerous place. the ambassador knew this. the president took responsibility in the second debate he said, if mistakes were made blame me, the buck stops with me. the american people have that option to do that and they could

weigh this against his entire foreign policy record. look, yes there should have been more security there. maybe we shouldn't have even had people there at this point looking back in hind sight. again we try to do what we can with the information we have. what we've heard is that the libyan people for the most part are supportive of this. of us, of the united states. what we have there is unfortunately a bit of a lawless situation where groups like al-qaida are taking hold, and i think after this election we'll have a full debate about why this is happening. right now partisans on either side are twisting this. we can easily say this is a republican plan to say, to try to attack the president and his strength which has been foreign policy because they are not winning on the economy. megyn: before we let you respond to that chris plant i want you -- your thoughts on charlene lamb the state department employee. now we know that she and others were basically getting begged for more security by the ambassador and others telling a long narrative about al-qaida-related groups growing

and listen to what miss lamb told congress a couple of weeks back. >> miss lamb, yesterday you told us in testimony that you received from mr. nordstrom a recommendation but not a request for more security, and you admitted that in fact you had previously said that if he submitted a request you would not support it. is that correct? >> under the current conditions, yes. sir, we had the correct number of assets in benghazi at the time of 9/11 for what had been agreed upon. megyn: chris plant. >> for what had been agreed upon is not really the standard that we go by. it's scandalous that they weren't provided the security necessary prior to the events of september 11th. it's scandalous that they watched and stood by and did nothing on september 11th and it's scandalous they didn't tell us the truth afterwards. >> i think it's scandalous when there is such partisanship over

people's lives. >> spare me the indignation. megyn: have to run. a fight between two states and a group of international election observers, next.

megyn: four days to go until election today and there has been a new twist in the battle between two states and a group of international voting monitors. the naacp and other groups called on these folks to go out and look for folks who may be trying to quote, suppress the vote. the folks in iowa and texas, not amused. warning the foreign observers to stay back from the polls this tuesday or possibly face arrest. and now we are hearing that these groups have complete immunity from any u.s. laws. is that true? joining us now jay secula the chief counsel for the american center for law and justice. they are coming from places like kazakhstan to texas and iowa and other states to make sure that we run free and fair

electionses, jay, and they say if texas, as its threatened to do tries to arrest them or get up in their business, if they get out of line they can't. what is the truth? >> yeah, that's because the state department says there is this. you know, basically immunity situation almost like diplomatic immunity. this sounds like a scripp from a borat movie. the reality is. megyn: kazakhstan. >> observers from the osc which are in cooperation with the united nations are taking a serious position of questioning the integrity of the united states electoral process, and belaruse which is like the last remaining dictatorship in europe sent a specific statement complaining about our electoral college, the way our elections are seupt. i'm going to read you the response from the u.s. mission. this is our u.s. mission responding to belaruse a dictatorship. the united states stakes seriously be hr-rbs laruse's concerns? really? we take seriously a dictatorship

on our electoral process unless you're going to cast a vote or a poll worker you have to state a hundred feet, some states it's 500 feet away from the polling locations unless you're approved to be there. these individuals do not have authority to go into our polling locations to observe and the state's attorney generals greg abbott from texas and as iowa's secretary of state and georgia's state ever are goin are going to make sure we don't have international interference. they are coupe link with naacp and focus which is aeu acor acorn group. the netherlands part of the observing process actually has in their statutes that voter identification is required in the netherlands before a vote is cast. these complaints about our system, it's basically an attempt really to intimidate

poll workers, and why would you have these representatives, international representatives at u.s. elections? they've been there since 2002, they skipped the 2008 election i guess they thought that one wasn't going to be so close, and they are here at this one because this is going to be a close election. but the idea that we've got international observers here is absurd especially when you're talking about countries like bellaruse and kazakhstan. megyn: are they going into force anything? i mean are they just going to sit there like -- this is not the way we do it in bellaruse. >> they would have access to the actual voting list. this is what the osce which is in cooperation with the u.n. they want to look at voting lists. they want to check it also. that is absurd. we don't allow that in the united states of america, and the state departments where there is immunity here. megyn: can you just imagine, can you imagine, let me take to you houston, texas, where, you know our friends show up at the polling place and some guy from

kazakhstan steps in and says you are not on the list. okay we're going to pick it up there when we come back. >> right. megyn: stay with us. and i was told to call my next of kin. at 33 years old, i was having a heart attack. now i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i didn't know this could happen so young. take control, talk to your doctor. ve lately.i didn't know this could happen so young. but because of business people like you, things are beginning to get rolling. and regions is here to help. making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward.

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megyn: what happens down in houstoner. >> des moines if a voter shows up and the guy from sc from kazn doesn't see him on the list. you go to the pole worker because he has no right to be there. if an international observer doesn't think the person is qualified to vote under an international standard, that's absurd. we are notifying all 50

attorneys general of the 50 states this weekend. if the person does not have the right to be there which these international observers do not. do not be intimidated by this attempt to suppress the vote which is what this is all about. megyn: something tells me american citizens won't be intimidated. after gary sinise is performing for the building for the bravest, his group gives special homes to wounded warriors. mike suffered 85% of his body. but he says the wounds he and his comrades sawrved are only further proof of the spirit of those here in uniform. >> i have been back to iraq three times since being injured. one of the greatest moments was

going to the detention facilities. they had a bunch of the insurgents locked up, they are probably look at me saying, we got one. but who is inside the gate and who is not. our spirits can't be broken. the american soldier cannot be broken no matter what you throw at us. megyn: he will be honored this weekend along with corporal todd lund. the concert put on by the todayy sinise -- putten by the gary sinise band. you can donate at the garysinisefoundation.org. no power, no gas and anger boiling over in the wake of hurricane sandy. we'll show you who is getting the blame next.

>> it's rough out here. if you have got a car you can't get gas. everybody is fighting for it. [ male announcer ] are you considering a new medicare plan?

then you may be looking for help in choosing the right plan for your needs. so don't wait. call now. whatever your health coverage needs, unitedhealthcare can help you find the right plan. open enrollment to choose your medicare coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so now is the best time to review your options and enroll in a plan. medicare has two main parts, parts a and b, to help cover a lot of your expenses, like hospital care... and doctor visits. but they still won't cover all of your costs. now's the time to learn about unitedhealthcare plans that may be right for you. are you looking for something nice and easy? like a single plan that combines medicare parts a & b with prescription drug coverage? a medicare advantage plan can give you doctor, hospital

and prescription drug coverage all in one plan... for nothing more than what you already pay for part b. you'll also have the flexibility to change doctors from a network of providers dedicated to helping you stay healthy. plus with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as low as $2 at thousands of pharmacies in retail locations like these, all across the country. call now to learn more. unitedhealthcare has the information you need so you'll be better prepared when making medicare decisions. maybe you'd just like help paying for your prescriptions. consider a part d prescription drug plan. it may help reduce the cost of your prescription drugs. with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare has been helping people live healthier lives. remember, open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. we can help. call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you.

call now. ♪ megyn: new tension in the wake of the storm four days after, four million people are still without power. in the dark in the cold, and wondering when help will show up. brand-new hour of "america live." i'm megyn kelly. from new york to new jersey and beyond the scope of the devastation is widening. the images of destruction are shocking. and the number of deaths rising. in new york and new jersey anger is growing over gasoline shortages, power outages and long long waits for relief supplies. staten island, new york we are hearing comparisons to katrina and its aftermath. this is why. look at the trash piling up. dirty water flooding the streets

and a stench hanging in the air. people are hungry, they are cold. they are look for things to eat. clean water, dry clothes. their homes swept off the foundation by surging waves or swallows by soggy marshes. they are expressing a growing sense of anger. >> come here and walk into these streets where the water is this high and put waders on and see what it's about. not the outskirts. there is a lot of people trapped in here still. >> i don't have anywhere to go. i don't have no clothes. all the clothes i have on they gave to me at the center. >> 22 years in my home and i lost it. megyn: you can donate to the red cross if you want to help these folks. by the numbers, 19 of the 41

people who died in new york city lived on staten island. three of them were children. hundreds of homes have been destroyed and the power is out for every one in 10 staten island residents. >> reporter: the residents of staten island are calling their community katrina boroughs. luisen to coney island, staten island, these residents say they are freezing cold. and forgotten. staten island as you said, 19 people died including those two young brothers who were swept out of their mother's arms when that massive wave rolled across the island destroying pretty much everything. four days later there is no power. there is no clean water. there is little food. homes and stores are being looted on a regular basis. the president of that borough,

power and electricity still out. and the elderly are still trapped in these housing complexes on the upper floors. sound familiar? fema and homeland security say they are pushing aid sphaft pass fast as they can, but the people in these boroughs are saying they are beg for it and not getting it. >> i haven't heard from fema, the coast guard, no one. it's puzzling. >> i'm angry and fed up. what are we? is this america? i don't know. i don't know. i don't like it. we are going down hill. >> i came here four, five years ago, we came here for a better life and opportunity. and this is what we came from. this is ridiculous. it's not how it's suppose to be.

>> the borough president is lashing out at the feds to the red cross and michael broom berg's decision to go ahead with a marathon saying this is no time for a parade. a marathon is a parade. we have two feet of mud where you used to be able to walk. we have boats in the middle of streets, the houses are flattened and we have lost lives and they want to hold a parade. mayor bloomberg knows the criticism is out there. he just a few minutes ago said the marathon will go forward. people in coney island wandering the streets look for guidance. >> it's like a forgotten communities. we understand rockaway * and breezy are worse off maybe. but it's like they have forgotten us. >> people with kids need diapers, coats, shoes, socks, anything at all.

>> reporter: new jersey needs help but we are hearing reports when several alabama power crews showed up to help them get their power restored they were turned away because they were non-union. we called the governor's office. he says that's not the case. he says they were turned away because they did not need help in the areas they were going to. but clearly new jersey needs a ton of help trying to get the power back on. megyn: his story is he turned them away because they didn't need help? did say don't help here where you are not needed but please go over here where people are dying? >> reporter: we asked for clarification and they are still getting back to us. but the response we got from the governor's office is the power crews showed up in areas that did not need help which is why they were turned away. i asked, couldn't they have been shepherded in a different direction? we haven't got and response from that. megyn: what a mess. we are going to talk about this

business about the marathon in new york a little later. the problem for a lot of folks here is new yorkers are staying in the hotels right now. people who live in of the five boroughs who lost their homes are in the hotels because they have nowhere to live and they are about to be kicked out because there are people from other countries coming into new york to run the in this race. now some of the hotels are starting to push back. saying we are not going to kick out the new yorkers. sorry, we know you have a confirmed reservation and you flew in from europe. but we are not kick out the staten islanders who have nowhere else to go because their home is in pieces. we'll talk about it coming up. almost two months after the terror attack that killed americans in benghazi, a new version of the american response. the cia releasing a time line its actions.

suggesting it played a bigger part in trying to fend off the attackers and save the besieged americans than had previously been reported. our report last friday was several contractors in an agency annex had between denied help during the fighting. catherine herridge is live in washington with more. >> reporter: a senior u.s. intelligence official tells fox there was no second guessing on the night of the attack adding there were no orders to anyone to stand down. u.s. intelligence officials providing the detailed time line of the attack and what they say is the agency's response. the first call for help came into the annex which we know is a cia outpost. the attack happened shortly after 9:35 and there was no demonstration at the time. 25 minutes later a cia security team left the annex for the consulate. by 10:40 the cia is inside the

consulate searching the safe room for ambassador stevens. all u.s. personnel except for the missing u.s. ambassador are pulled from the mission. a review of a secret diplomatic cable shows august 15 a month before the attack during an emergency meeting the state department consulate staff and cia leadership in benghazi agreed to work hand in glove as security on the ground deter yaitd. mission personnel couldr could co-locate to the annex. there was an agreement for formal weekly meetings to discuss the security environment. now there is a growing call from republicans on capitol hill for answers from the president on the decisions he made during crisis. the president has been public in his involvement in the most recent crisis hurricane sandy. >> you have got photographs of

the president during the takedown of usama bin laden. and their observations relative to the enormous disaster on the east coast this week. no picture in the situation room during unfolding events in libya. >> fox news has requested those white house situation room photo and we are still waiting fear response. megyn: joining us now lieutenant colonel oliver north. what do you make of it? >> catherine is absolutely right and so is senator kyl. these time lines raise more questions than answers. we don't know why ambassador stevens was in benghazi instead of the american embassy in tripoli on 9/11's anniversary. he had no psd with him. the associated press reports that the pentagon is going to release another time line

showing special operation forces were not in sicily during attack and only arrived after it's over. if that's true, that's unsatisfactory because everyone knew this anniversary was likely to be a time of great tension. why did they ignore the prior attacks and reports catherine indicated a month before? there was no involvement that indicated al qaeda or radical islamists were involved with the libyan security forces as we now know they were. who is it that made the decision to with hold the marines at the u.s. diplomatic missions in libya and other diplomatic posts in the region? those answers are needed about it american people because it reflects directly on the ability of the commander-in-chief to fulfill his most important function and that is protecting lives of the americans. i remind everybody when we went to libya first, it was all about leading from behind and a responsibility to protect the

libyan people from moammar qaddafi. where is the responsibility to protect american citizens who are vulner toobl this kind of attack in benghazi. we know during the terror attack there was an unmanned aerial vehicle providing intelligence and reconnaissance it was either a rear or predator. was it armed fit wasn't, why wasn't it. megyn: we have been reporting that we didn't send this counter-terrorism group over to investigate the scene on the night it was happening. we didn't involve our counter terrorism people. in the days and weeks after we didn't involve our counter terrorism people. even though this emerged as a clear act of terrorism. we didn't involve them. now foreign policy magazine has an article talking about how the fbi goes over there and they are suppose to be looking at the compound. reporters from foreign policy

magazine found sensitive documents from the ambassador and sean smith sitting on the floor. and the fbi doesn't get there until weeks after. cnn found the ambassador's diary. why aren't the counter-terrorism folks involved? >> why was a decision made during attack not to send u.s. special operators, aircraft and the like one hour away in sigonella to repel the attacks? i look at this and say this man has failed as commander-in-chief and i hope the american people are going to hire a new one next week. megyn: thank you, colonel. the "wall street journal"'s peggy noonan described the arc of the president. the debate on the president's case for a second term. next. if we want to improve our schools...

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megyn: one of the most read items in the "wall street journal" is a peggy noonan article that describes how far obama has fallen. at one point she writes quote he had confidence without the full capability an gathered around him friends and associates who sea toward him and who were tall ended but maybe not quite talented enough for game they were in. they didn't get the country so well. joining me to discuss it, mike gallagher. we are also trying to get alan colmes hooked up.

she has been critical of mitt romney as well. but this devastating piece on president obama where he went from a 68% approval rating after he was inaugurated. super majorities in congress. to someone who is fighting for his political life right now. >> right. they are probably trying to get allen up off the floor after he considered peggy noonan's piece. he heard about peggy noonan's piece. it's not just the "wall street journal." the las vegas review journal. this piece is one of the most scathing indictments. the editorial in endorsing mitt romney says that president obama is unworthy commander-in-chief, the benghazi blunder you have been reporting on. listen -- we go back to candidate obama promising if he didn't fix this economy within four years he would be a one-term president. so we are starting to see the peggy noonan's of the world and

the las vegas review journal it, amazing to see newspapers acknowledge how far this man has fallen. win, or draw tuesday, this is a guy who has had an incredible fall from grace, particularly considering all the the obama supporters who were counting on him for real hope and change and they, too, feel let down. megyn: they may have fallen from grace but you were wrong about alan colmes. he's here. he had huge approval ratings when he came in. the republicans were demoralized, the party was fractured. the stars were were effectually. at a certain point he lost the room. she talks about the stimulus bill and the healthcare law. >> peggy noonan is a great writer. it's not the most objective

observer. megyn: she is a republican. >> there was a time when peggy noonan was swoong over obama and battering romney. she is a republican. someone who is -- megyn: do you deny that the president came in with the wind at his back. >> i don't deny that. megyn: look at him now. how did he go from "a" to "b"? >> the problems were worse than he anticipated. i know conservatives hate when i talk about we had to inherit. you can't look at this presidency without talking about what he had to deal with when he stepped into office. megyn: we knew he was walk into a mess. but her point is he fractured the country, in particular by the divisive healthcare law without focusing on jobs and squandered the goodwill on something that was extremely

divisive. >> that's her republican opinion. i think the divisiveness came from a bunch of republicans who vowed from day one they weren't going to work with this president. from a bunch of republicans who wanted nothing to do with him. he worked on jobs and they rejected the jobs bill he put forward. they rejected a bill to solve the deficit problems by trillions of dollars in cuts to get taxes raids on people. >> talk to republicans on capitol hill. this is the least cooperative president we have ever seen. >> they didn't want to work with them. >> and he wants to work with them? >> he does, actually. >> you proved peggy noonan's point when you admitted initially she had been swoong over barack obama. that's precisely the point. megyn: a lot of people were swooning over barack obama.

just watch it again. i was there four years ago -- when the crowd was -- just watch it ... [♪] that magic ... alan, is that magic still with us? >> not to that extent. over the course of any president comes into office with a great deal of hope. any new president is going to come in and people will believe -- here is a great new opportunity for us. you will face a number of problems over four years. we are coming out of storm he had to deal with. >> there is no doubt the enthusiasm has greatly diminished. his popularity has taingd. the trajectory has been incredible. >> mitt romney is a guy rick

santorum said could never get elected. megyn: she says he had so much confidence he thought whatever he did would work. we'll pick it up after the break. emblematic of the

problems the president faced these last four years. >> it's a powerful metaphor. there is a great story there, too, as well in terms of the government's response. if this had been a republican president and people on staten island were screaming into the cameras please help us, we have no food, they are running the new york city marathon. there is a real controversy there as well. many people are saying we are katrina. of course, obama gets a pass because it's a few days before the election. all the promises going back to a fundamental promise that his

chairperson of the economic council said 5.6% unemployment after the stimulus. it went up to 7.9% today. the promises are broken. the expectations have not been met and this is a failed presidency and i'm hoping next week i'll have a big smile on my face. megyn: you talk about the unemployment promises and cutting the debt in half and it's been doubled. changing washington. bringing bipartisanship and being a different kind of politician. is he a victim now of overpromising about things that were -- i don't know, were they even possible? >> i think was talking about the deficit. it's one million less than it was. but he couldn't have flished that. in terms of jobs again. megyn: i'm asking for a broader view. should he never have made those

promises? can you change washington? >> no, no. if i can respond some to some of the things mike has said. it's even at 7.9%. the jobs picture is more than they thought it would be. august and september had more jobs than previously thought. we find out promised he has made. he said he would reform healthcare and end the war in iraq and get out of afghanistan. he has done so many of the things he said he would do. any second-term president is not going to be as swooned over as a first term. that's just the what it is for every president. >> his narcissistic personality, the failed promises. >> he created 4 million jobs. almost 200,000 a month being created. megyn: it won't be solved today

but it will be solved tuesday one way or another. the american people will have the final say. thank you both so much. i thought it was an interesting piece. good debate. let me know what you think on twitter. we are just getting word that justice department is monitoring the rest of early voting in miami-dade county because of complaints about long lines at some polling places. we are told doj man towards will be looking for discrimination thought it is not clear why they will have that concern. plus we'll go back to our top story on what has happened in the four days since superstorm sandy hit the surging anger over no power, no heat, no gasoline, and in many cases no help. who may suffer from the fallout. >> they are take generators. they are taking law enforcement off the job with the opportunity

to help people and stopping looters. >> people here are still hurting and they are looking for people. it's crazy. [ male announcer ] are you considering a new medicare plan? then you may be looking for help in choosing the right plan for your needs. so don't wait. call now. whatever your health coverage needs, unitedhealthcare can help you find the right plan. open enrollment to choose your medicare coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so now is the best time to review your options

and enroll in a plan. medicare has two main parts, parts a and b, to help cover a lot of your expenses, like hospital care... and doctor visits. but they still won't cover all of your costs. now's the time to learn about unitedhealthcare plans that may be right for you. are you looking for something nice and easy? like a single plan that combines medicare parts a & b with prescription drug coverage? a medicare advantage plan can give you doctor, hospital and prescription drug coverage all in one plan... for nothing more than what you already pay for part b. you'll also have the flexibility to change doctors from a network of providers dedicated to helping you stay healthy. plus with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as low as $2 at thousands of pharmacies in retail locations like these, all across the country. call now to learn more. unitedhealthcare has the information you need

so you'll be better prepared when making medicare decisions. maybe you'd just like help paying for your prescriptions. consider a part d prescription drug plan. it may help reduce the cost of your prescription drugs. with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare has been helping people live healthier lives. remember, open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. we can help. call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. call now. ♪

megyn: we are just getting word that the justice department is monitoring the remainder of early voting in miami-dade county, florida because of complaints about long lines in some polling places. the democrats in florida have asked the governor to extend

early voter, but governor scott said he will not do that. at the same time the republican national committee sent a letter to election officials in six states trying to make sure voting machines are working properly. those states include nevada, kansas, north carolina, colorado, missouri and ohio. >> reporter: we are in cuyahoga county, downtown cleveland. they have a long history of problems including missing votes and missing voting machines. we were her voting on the acorn scandal. freddy johnson told me he was registered to vote by acorn 73 times. turns out he was just the tip of the iceberg. two election officials were convicted of rigging the 2004 presidential recount. the 2006 voter cards and voting

machine keys were lost. employees took vote magazines home to test them and taxi drivers transported the memory cards from the polls that held all the votes. >> there was a systemic break down in 2006. but if we are evaluating the situation as of today in 2012, i think it is fair to say that that systemic breakdown did not reappear in 2010. >> reporter: officials insist they overhauled the procedures with new guidelines. no more taxi cab drivers. sheriffs take them from the polls accompanied by a democrat and a republican official. >> reporter: have you seen

acorn-type problems now? >> no, we don't see those problems. that was significant, objectionable and we needed to put our feet down and we did across the state and we know what happened to acorn. >> reporter: the big worry is if it's a close race will it get down to provisional ballots? they can't start counting those until 10 days after the election. megyn: with four days to go until election. some unnamed sources inside the obama campaign seem to be setting the stage to possibly assign blame or credit depending on how things go tuesday. in an article in yesterday's wall street journal some of those source are pointing to david plouffe as the man behind every one of the president's political moves in a strategy described as bold but risky. joining me now joe trippi, former howard dean campaign manager and ed rollins former director of the reagan

reelection campaign. this piece appears in the "wall street journal." unnamed sources are pointing to mr. bluf bluff mr. plouffe. >> we just found out hot other guy was. stuart stevens was kicked around a little bit and people pointed to him as being the strategy and the mistake behind the romney campaign. one of them is going to be a genius wednesday and the other one is going to get the blame. that sort of what's happening. but we heard this all the way through the campaign where again take on stuart stevens, that's who everybody is blaming on the other side.

they will be geniuses or losers the next day. megyn: the romney campaign they said was in a lot of trouble and his campaign wasn't going very well. now this piece comes out on the over of the election and some senior insider is saying -- who told him to go after romney, david plouffe. was it axlerod? >> it's not axlerod. they are former partners. that's doubtful. megyn: is this somebody trying to throw plouffe under the bus. >> the wheels come off in the end and with one as close as this one you have an exhausted team with everybody second guessing. you are looking at internal polls that may be different than the public polls, maybe not. i get blamed for losing minnesota when reagan won 49

states. even after that dan quayle once said anyone could have run reagan's 1984 campaign. donald duck could have. that's the way the game works. megyn: you have done this what we are about to watch these candidates do this last four-day hall. what is this like for them? what are they going through? >> they are on adrenaline pushing through to the end, the entire team is. you are running on fumes really. and, look, you want to hit the tape with nothing left. you want to lit election day with nothing left. both these campaigns will do that. usual exhausted. and literally you know, almost zombie walking a lot of them will be the last few days with everything they have got. ed's right. this is one of those things where these two teams have done an amazing job to get it to a dead heat. the candidate had something to do with it.

you can't go diving in front of a microphone with someone who says i like to fire people or you didn't build that. these campaigns have gotten to an absolute dead heat and we may be up for a long time. if ohio has to wait 10 days to count provisionals we could be looking at this for a long time. they may have a lot more to go even after they hit the tape. megyn: he says both cams in his estimation are genuinely convinced they are going to win. could that be? >> sure it is. it depends on your own polling. what's your methodology? is it going to be a year like 2008 where a record number of democrats turn out? is it going to be like 2004 which was an equal number of democrats and republicans? what is your model? people always say to me, and joe and i are allegedly the experts. if i knew who would win i would

be in las vegas betting my daughter's college money. it is close, it is dead even. any last mistake could make a difference. they are going full bore it's trench warfare. television, millions of dollars, none of that is going to work. it's every guy and girl getting out there getting extra votes they can find that they identified. megyn: they don't campaign on election day, right? >> they don't. i think they will campaign all the way through the last minute you will see them out fighting for every vote. ed's right about that. >> election day is the longest day you ever spend in your life. you can't wait for it to be over. you keep looking at your coffee saying it's only 9:15? i have been up for 12 hours already. it's an unbelievable process to go through.

this one i believe this comes down to virginia sanyo. we started out with 9 or 10 states. it's really virginia and ohio. if romney wins those two he's in the game. if he loses those two he's out of the game. >> both these campaigns are operating under different turnout models. one of them is right and one of them will find out they are wrong. this could look like an electoral land slide for one of them. megyn: thanks so much, guys. coming up. outrage is growing over the controversial decision to go forward with the new york city marathon. the city is spending millions. >> to what extent have you received help from authorities? >> i would say zero percent. >> reporter: what needs to be done? >> all these streets opened up so there is some passage way for emergency vehicles, police

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>> monday night after the storm people were coming in with no socks. no shoes. they were in desperate need. their house were destroyed. they were crying. >> reporter: that was nornlings staten island borough president furious over the lack of response from the federal government and the red cross. staten island is the site of some of the worst storm devastation. people are cold, hungry, and they have no place to go. and it happens to be the starting points of the big new york city marathon and there is growing outrage over new york's controversial decision to go forward with the race. they decided to rename it "race to recover." joining me now eric bolling and

cheryl casone. >> how dare they. megyn: you run in this race. >> this one of the premiere marathons in the world. the staging area is on staten island. for three hours you will have this massive party of marathoners, whoever made it to town. 40 thousand expected. and some runners their flights were canceled. they are not even here. you can't tell me the race to recover and charitable donations is worth having a massive party on staten island next to where children were just killed in a storm. this is horrific and a complete mistake by the mayor. back in 2001 i was not in new york. but they waited two months. the new york city marathon was a rebuilding moment. this is not that day.

the c kerks o of nyrr should not have agreed to run the race. megyn: she said we'll give $2.5 million to charity. the ruby family who launched this marathon years and years ago. give the money but don't run a race where you have runners going through destroyed areas of the manhattan area. how is this possible? >> better yet mayor bloomberg should have said no we are not going to do it right now. megyn: you can understand why the runner want to run. >> of course. but bloom berg should have said no. in staten island colleagues have told us they are using schools as morgues. they are still finding bodies people without clothing and food. gas lines. are you kidding with what's going on in new york city and connecticut and new jersey. my wife spent four hours trying

to get $10 worth of gasoline. this is not time to be running the marathon. mayor bloom burgers as tone deaf as anyone could be. there is plenty of time to take all those volunteers -- use the volunteers and say we are going to help out the people of staten island. megyn: people have no power with little kids and they are freezing and cold. >> usually what you do when you run the mayor thought you take bus or the staten island ferry to get over to the beginning of the race. if the ferry isn't going to be running that's a big question mark. but huge generators will be on site for hours. the runners start arriving 4:00 in the morning. the workers for the marathon will be up, that's all power that could be going to the people of staten island. central park is still a mess. i run in the park all the time.

can you guarantee the safety of the trees? megyn: what about the hotels? the mayor said this is an economic benefit. but the hotel owners are saying we are already full. full of new yorkers. we don't need the external people coming in. >> the original reports were the people in the hotels who were di storm, they were going to be moved out because of the runners and the staff needed to be moved in because they had reservations. i hear some of the hotels are saying we are going to take care of these people and you will have to fend for yourself. fema needs -- president obama is taking a victory lap with fema. even chris christie is taking a victory lap with fema. get the generators to the gasoline stations so people can get gas and do whatever they have to do. check on their loved ones or get to work. megyn: that would earn a lot of goodwill if they showed up and ran around staten island helping

people. >> a lot of my friends are saying i'm not going to win.

megyn: we have new information on early voting in a battleground state. florida with long lines and long waits. how's it going so far? >> reporter: the early voting here in the most coveted of the battleground states remains strong and reflective of the latest polling data which shows a neck and neck tossup race between president obama and governor romney. in miami-dade county as well as the heavily populated counties around florida. you are seeing long lines of

early voters. the vote wait, 3 1/2 hours. that's from the end of the line which wraps all the way around the corner of this building. you wait and shuffle along in 80-81 degree heat in this november -- early november in florida. then you have one of the most historically long ballot in history. charlie crist look at these long lines calling for an end of -- an extension of early voting hours and days. but last night the republican governor rick scott says no to that. we'll stick with state law. early voting ends saturday night 7:00 p.m. 3 million floridians plus have already voted by early voting and absentee ballots. breaking that down. early voting. the people you see standing in line.

1.3 million have vote. 630,000 plus democrats. the democrats with the higher edge in early voting. but when it comes to absentee ballots. that's where republicans have the edge. 700,000 for republicans and less than that coming for the democrats. 29 electoral college voipts for grabs in the state of florida. it's a big battleground state and a lot of enthusiasm. [ male announcer ] this is sheldo whose long day setting up the news

starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

>>megyn: despite all devastation we have seen because of sandy here is a picture to close out the week. look at this. we got this image of hope from seaside heights new jersey, a man touching an intact american flag while almost everything around him is gone. we will be with you